Santa Claws is Coming to Town
by JanSuch
Summary: Short story about Santa's visit to the Sanctuary- or was it Santa?


A/N: The usual, I don't own Sanctuary or the Sanctuary characters, I'm not making any money from this, too bad.

"C'mon Magnus, we have to have a big tree" Will insisted.

"I realize Christmas is coming and I don't mind a tree, but where would you get one and how would you get it down here? Most of the passageways aren't very spacious."

"We'll work it out" Henry chimed in.

"And where precisely are you planning on setting it up?"

"The atrium" Will and Henry said together. Henry continued "Yeah it's three stories high and a really big room so everybody can gather around."

"All right gentlemen, but both the expense and the logistics are on you. Don't forget you have to find a way to keep it upright and decorate it once it's up. And I won't have your work neglected either."

"Yes!" said Henry while Will said "All right!" and they high-fived.

Helen just smiled a little and went on to her office. Henry and Will went to Will's office to pour over maps of the tunnels to find the best way to get a huge tree down to the Sanctuary. They finally figured that with the size of the tunnels and the angle of bends in each route, they could possibly get a sixteen foot tree through.

Henry built a humongous tree stand and Will enlisted Big Guy to help carry the tree. They were heading somewhere cold to buy it so if Big Guy wrapped up well, he would just be a big guy and his differences wouldn't be overly noticeable.

The tree they got was actually about fourteen and a half feet tall; it was just prettier and more evenly branched than the slightly larger ones. The man who sold it to them was astounded that the three guys who bought it just picked it up and put it on the flatbed trailer they had brought.

Getting through the tunnels was heavy work. They had to carry it several miles, and even going their planned route, there were places where it was a tight fit. But Big Guy took most of the weight, and with Henry on one end and Will on the other guiding it, they made it through.

They enlisted help to carry down all the boxes of decorations. Once everything was piled in the atrium, the fun began. Several of the larger Abnormals set the tree in the stand while lots of folks stood around and called out directions to lean it this way and that to get it straight. Once firmly in the stand, the decorating began.

Flying Abnormals started with the lights at the top, passed the strings to the large Abnormals for the middle, who passed them to human-sized folks for most of the rest until at the very bottom the elves took over. Well, they weren't really elves, but the smallest Sanctuary residents had decided to call themselves that for the holiday.

After the lights came the ornaments and then the garlands. One of the flying Abnormals put the star on top, and an elf dove under the tree to turn on the lights. Everyone went "ooo" and "aah" at the pretty sight. Big Guy put a huge red tree skirt around it and it was perfect.

Even Magnus stopped by to view the finished product. "Good work, gentlemen. But it seems there are still quite a few boxes of decorations left."

Will replied "Yeah, we got extra. We figured folks would want to decorate their offices, the halls, even their rooms, and there's no point in everyone traipsing to the surface to buy decorations individually."

"Good thinking; but not my office, and not my rooms, understood?"

Will and Henry looked at each other in concern, but both nodded. Henry said "Sure Doc, whatever you say, but if you change your mind let us know. There are plenty of decorations to go around."

"Just respect my wishes, please" Helen said quietly, and left the atrium.

Henry turned to Will "You know I thought she'd be over that whole thing with Tesla by now."

"Guess not. I'll talk to her."

After work hours Will stopped by Helen's rooms. She called "Come in" at his knock and he found her in a comfortable chair with a book and a glass of wine.

"Good book?"

"Yes, actually, but I doubt you're here to discuss my reading material. What is it Will?"

"It's about the whole Christmas thing. You know you're the leader here and the way you're going you will put a damper on the whole holiday for everyone."

Helen sighed. "I suppose you're right, but I just don't feel very joyful this year."

Will sat down across from her. "Look, I know you miss Tesla, but you've had a lot of good Christmases without him, and you can have a good one this year too."

Helen took a sip of wine. "Perhaps. But I had so looked forward to this."

"Why? He doesn't even celebrate Christmas; the guy is a total Grinch about the holiday."

"That's why. Ever since he moved out of his parents' home, he has ignored Christmas. He doesn't really understand it Will. He thinks it's only about religion, he doesn't get the feeling of happiness being with friends and family, he's never known the joy of seeing the look on a loved one's face when they open your gift and it's just perfect, or the pleasure one can have helping the less fortunate. I wanted to show him those things, but he's not here."

"Maybe he's not, but the rest of us are. We're your friends and family, and we're worried about you."

Helen nodded. "I suppose I should try to put on a good face. All right, I'll acquiesce in a little garland in my office, but leave my suite alone."

"We're going to play Christmas carols in the halls over the intercom system and encourage everyone to leave their presents under the tree. There are already five or six under there."

"Everyone doesn't celebrate Christmas, Will, we shouldn't impose carols on all the residents."

"Hey, you said it yourself, it's not just the religious aspect, it's the friends and family thing too and everyone here is part of that. If somebody doesn't like carols, they can put in earbuds and listen to something else."

"But if anyone complains . . ."

"We started playing them a couple hours ago and so far everyone is walking around smiling and singing along; even Big Guy was humming to "Chestnuts".

"I give up, you win. Just leave me my sanctuary within the Sanctuary."

"Done."

Over the next few days Helen could see the mood in the whole place improving, and she found herself singing along to the carols too and thinking _very sneaky way to get everyone in a good mood, Will_. She got pulled in to the planning for a huge meal on Christmas day, making sure that all the residents would have a special treat no matter how odd their diet. But it made her think of the very old, very rare bottle of wine she had saved for Nikola which made her sad again.

Christmas Eve day there was a crisis on the surface. Some cold-loving Abnormals that normally lived on the Arctic ice had shown up on the north coast of Alaska. The human residents reacted fearfully to the strange creatures and several clashes had resulted in injuries and one death on either side.

Will worked on it all afternoon, taking reports from the Sanctuary team that had reached the area and working with the Russian government for permission to move the Abnormals to a completely uninhabited area of Siberia.

It was late when he got Russian approval and the Abnormals en route with the Sanctuary team. He turned off his computer, stood up and stretched, and started for his own suite. But on the way he decided to go through the atrium to see the tree. He was feeling a little depressed and thought the sight of the tree would lift his spirits.

It was so late the carols had been turned off for the night and the hallways were silent and empty. But as he approached the atrium, he could hear there was someone in there. He went through the doorway and stopped in his tracks.

Santa Claus was by the tree. Santa Claus in a red suit and white beard had a sack and was taking presents out and putting them under the tree.

It had to be one of the residents playacting, but with the well-stuffed red suit, hat, and beard, Will couldn't tell who it was. He said "Hey, Santa" as whoever it was put his last present under the tree. Santa turned and gave him a little wave, took three steps to his left, and disappeared in a bright white light with a "pop" of air.

Will stood frozen in shock for a minute. It couldn't have really been . . . no that was crazy. But residents didn't come and go instantly in a bright flash; someone had breached security, somehow. Will grabbed his phone and called Magnus.

"Magnus, there's been a security breach. I just saw . . . someone in the atrium, and they disappeared into thin air." He was _not_ going to say he just saw Santa Claus, absolutely not. Helen replied "I'll be right there" and hung up.

He called Henry next. "Henry, sorry to wake you man, but I just saw an intruder in the atrium. When he saw me, he disappeared in a flash of light."

Henry's voice sounded sleepy. He said "Hang on; let me get to my laptop. A flash of light, huh, maybe it was Druitt. No, the EM shield is up, all the checkpoints show green."

Helen arrived and Will put Henry on speaker and told her "Henry says the EM shield is up and he doesn't see any security breaches."

Helen spoke at the phone "Henry, check the video for the atrium."

"Doing it now and . . . OMG, it's Santa Claus. He just arrived out of bright light, put out presents, and there's Will, and now Santa disappears in another flash of light. Will, dude, you saw Santa! I'll be right there."

Helen turned to Will. "Santa Claus. Really."

"Of course it wasn't Santa Claus, he's not real." Will added uncertainly "Right?"

"Sorry Will, but yes, there is no Santa Claus, he's a myth."

Henry arrived and showed them both the security video on his laptop. "He looks real to me Doc. And those presents he left are right there under the tree and not a bit mythical."

Helen insisted "It was just someone in a costume. I wonder if John has found a way to teleport through an EM shield? That would explain the change in the light flash from its usual appearance when he teleports. But if it was John or some other intruder, those packages could be dangerous."

"What do we do?" Will asked.

"Let me see the video again, in slow motion."

Henry slowed it down and played it for her. Helen suddenly pointed and said "There" and Henry stopped it while she studied the picture. Will couldn't see anything telling about it, just Santa partly turned away with a present in his hand. Then she said "Go forward" and Henry did. Right near the end when Santa waved to Will she had Henry stop it again.

"Well I don't think we need to worry about bombs or poison" Helen said. "I know that slim hand and that mischievous twinkle in those blue eyes. That, gentlemen, was no Santa Claus; that was Santa Claws, also known as Nikola Tesla."

"Tesla? But how, why?" Will asked, relieved that he wasn't going to have to start believing in Santa Claus or that someone dangerous had breached security. But he was also a little irked he hadn't recognized the vampire.

"Really?" Henry asked, clearly disappointed. "I was kinda hoping it was the real deal."

Erica's voice came from behind them "What's going on?" She had a sleeping Angelina in her arms, and Big Guy was standing behind her.

Henry responded "We thought we had a visit from Santa Claus, but not really, it was just Nikola. But he brought presents."

"Who did he bring presents for?" Erica asked.

"I don't know." Henry checked his laptop and said "Hey, it's after midnight, so technically it's Christmas morning. We could just open them and see."

Everyone turned to look at Helen. She gave in and said "All right, but just the ones from Nikola since he's not here to see us open them anyway. The rest are not to be opened until it actually is morning."

Henry replayed the video and they picked out Nikola's gifts. But they needn't have, all his presents were labeled "From Santa" so they were easy to spot.

There was one for each of them. Helen half expected a bottle of wine, but her present was small, oblong-shaped, and heavy, wrapped in gold paper. Henry opened his to find a plexiglass cube full of a complicated mesh of gold and silver gears with wires and tiny chips embedded in it. He turned it around and around in his hand, but there was no switch or button on the outside.

Erica asked "What is it?"

"I have no idea" Henry replied, but he sounded fascinated rather than upset. "I'm going to my lab for a while."

"It's the middle of the night" Erica protested.

"Yeah, I can take a nap later" Henry said absently as he left with his gift.

Will opened his and to his disgust found a book called "A Dummies Guide to Leadership". But inside the book there was a coupon good for two meals at a restaurant in New York that charged hundreds of dollars per meal and two front row tickets to a hot Broadway show. "Oh wow, Abby is going to love this" Will said, grinning. To Helen he said "Maybe Tesla isn't as clueless about Christmas as you thought."

Helen was still contemplating her gift and said "Perhaps."

Erica's present was a bottle of perfume, but there wasn't a brand name on it. It came with a note that she read, and she tucked the perfume and the note in her pocket with a mysterious smile, and wouldn't say any more about it other than she loved her gift.

Biggie's was odd. Inside a box was a piece of woven leather about as wide as his hand and twice as long. He looked at it a long time and then said "Do you remember the young Sasquatch from that Abnormal collector we ran into after our camping trip? This is from her. The pattern of weaving and knotting is a message. She says she is doing well, and she has a boyfriend now. She invites me to visit them in the Spring. How did Tesla get this?"

No one could answer that. Angelina's present was an old rattle/teething ring, but the noise it made was delicate and multi-toned. As soon as the baby heard it, she woke up and reached out her arms for it. Erica gave it to her and she contentedly put the teething ring in her mouth.

Helen had still to open her present. She gingerly tore off the wrappings and opened the box inside. Nestled in the box was something that looked a little like a small remote control, but the buttons were marked with odd symbols except for one that just said "on/off".

Helen studied it a moment then said to Erica, "Could you call up the Santa video on Henry's laptop for me? I want to see the very beginning and the very end, where Nikola arrives and leaves. Erica obliged her while Will held Angelina who seemed fascinated by her new possession and didn't really care who was holding her.

Helen watched the video and nodded thoughtfully. Will asked "What is it? Do you know what it's for?"

"I think so. When Nikola arrived, he slipped something this size into his pocket and took it out again just before he left. I think it controls his transportation device." Helen pushed the "on/off" button and a row of lights came on across the device, all red. One by one they turned yellow and began flashing, and then each turned green.

One of the other buttons had a little castle symbol on it and it had a circle drawn around it in chalk. Helen told everyone "Stand back; I'm not sure what is going to happen."

Will said "Wait. Are you sure you want to do that? You know Tesla, he doesn't really think about safety at all."

Helen said quietly "I know, but I trust him Will." She pushed the button and a brilliant white light appeared with a small "pop" of displaced air. Helen walked into it and disappeared.

And immediately stepped out in another room somewhere. Nikola had shed his Santa costume and stood waiting for her in one of his normal suits.

"What is this," Helen asked holding forward the remote, "And where am I?"

"It's my latest invention and you're in the Sanctuary basement. What, did you think I was only using the one room you caught me coming out of?"

"And this is how you got past all of our security?"

"Of course."

"And it's safe?"

"Yes, Helen, it's safe. I've created a tunnel that can be very short in the Rift universe but cover a very long distance in our universe. It goes through the Rift but excludes the Rift environment, so no radiation, and no oogly-googlies."

"Nikola, do you ever stop to think for a moment? You've created a way that anyone can use to invade us! I swore when I saw you again I was going to shoot you for walking out on me, and now I'm going to shoot you twice."

Helen pulled out her gun and shot him- twice. Nikola staggered back from the impacts, but then righted himself looking affronted at the damage to his suit. She'd got him in the chest with both shots and the holes and blood stains would be impossible to repair.

"Not fair. I give you a great present, and you shoot me for it? Helen, that remote has programmed itself to you- no one else can use it now just like no one else can use mine. And if anyone tries to open it, it goes 'poof' inside- except the battery compartment on yours, of course. Mine doesn't need batteries. Now say you're sorry and 'thank you'."

"I'm not sorry; you deserved it for deserting me anyway. But perhaps this is a better gift than I thought, providing it will take me somewhere else besides my own basement."

"Well, if you give me a kiss for each marked button, I'll tell you where they will take you."

Helen looked at the buttons and pointed to one. "That symbol is Big Ben, so this one must be London, and this is the Statue of Liberty, so New York. What's this one with the cog on it?"

"Kiss first, cog later."

Helen relented and started to put the remote in her pocket but Nikola stopped her and handed her a plastic case. "Believe me, you do not want to butt dial that."

She put it in the case and then in her pocket but made no move to kiss him.

"I know I left kind of suddenly, but you know I hate goodbyes, and it's your fault for not letting me do my work here."

"Really, it's my fault you ran off in the middle of the night."

"Well, yeah" Nikola said sullenly, not looking at her. But then he brightened, looked up and said "But I worked it out. This will let me live here and commute instantaneously to my lab; that's the cog symbol, my lab. It's deep under Bhalasaam, so there's nobody within miles and if I blow something up once or twice, or three times, it's far enough underground that no one will even notice."

"Three times?"

"Okay four, but who's counting? Anyway, the other buttons are for Tokyo, Rio, and Cairo, and the blanks are for wherever you want me to put a gate."

"How did you get to the atrium and the Halloween party? You don't have gates there."

"I can aim the exit point pretty accurately over a short distance; long distance I need a gate to attach the other end to so I don't walk out into a wall, or the floor or something. At the Halloween party I just stuck the exit up out of reach and stood in the gateway."

"Then I must say this is a very, very nice present. Thank you, Nikola. I have one for you too, would you like to come up and drink it in my suite?"

Nikola gave her an uncertain grin. "You're not going to shoot me anymore?"

"Nope, done with that. Come here and collect your kisses before I change my mind." And Nikola did.

A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!


End file.
